Throughout the Twilight franchise, one screenwriter has adapted author Stephenie Meyer ‘s bestselling book series about a teenager and her love for a vampire for the screen: Melissa Rosenberg . It’s a tricky job, balancing the desire to satisfy fans with the need to make Meyer’s 500+ page-novels cinematic, all while transforming heroine Bella Swan ( Kristen Stewart ) from unsteady teen to self-possessed woman. But in Breaking Dawn – Part 1 Bella finally is an agent of her own destiny, her senses awakened, and her choices confident. Was she, as Rosenberg insists, an active heroine under the surface just waiting to spring into action all along?
Director Bill Condon ‘went for it’ on too-hot-for-PG-13 version of the honeymoon, screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg tells MTV News. By Terri Schwartz, with reporting by Josh Horowitz Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart in “Breaking Dawn” Photo: Summit “Twilight” fans should know by now that the original sex scene filmed for “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1” was a lot steamier than the version that made the final cut. The MPAA said the film would need an R rating if director Bill Condon didn’t cut out some of the “thrusting.” Needless to say, he did, and “Breaking Dawn – Part 1” currently reigns atop the box office with a PG-13 rating. But screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg admitted to MTV News that she wished the raunchier cut had made it to the big screen. “Bill, he went for it,” Rosenberg said with a laugh when she recently spoke to MTV News. “I wanted to keep [the footage].” Though all the bumping and grinding didn’t make it to the final cut of the film, Rosenberg is crossing her fingers that a lot of the footage will make it to the DVD. So everyone out there hoping that some of the more explicit parts of that sex scene will one day be released for public consumption, you just might be in luck. That’s not the only scene that got chopped from the final cut of the movie, though. Rosenberg said there was a sequence before Bella and Edward’s wedding that also got the ax because it was slowing down the rest of the movie. “There was a whole section before the wedding with Charlie, Renee and Carlisle and Edward, kind of a back-and-forth, but it just slowed everything down. But there are some nice things in there,” she said. To calm fans who might be upset about missing that interaction, Rosenberg added, “But again, these are things that will show up someday.” Check out everything we’ve got on “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1.” For young Hollywood news, fashion and “Twilight” updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com . Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: ‘Breaking Dawn Part -1’ Director And Screenwriter MTV Rough Cut: ‘Breaking Dawn – Part 1’ Live From The ‘Twilight: Breaking Dawn – Part 1’ Red Carpet Related Photos ‘Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1’ Premiere
Box-office experts weigh in on whether ‘Twilight’ series can top blockbuster ‘Harry Potter’ finale. By Kevin P. Sullivan Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart in “Breaking Dawn – Part 1” Photo: Summit Opening weekend has come and gone for the first part of the “Twilight Saga” finale, and “Breaking Dawn – Part 1” bowed to an impressive $139.5 million at the box office , just short of the series-record $142 million for “New Moon” in 2009. But $139.5 million is certainly nothing to shake a stick at, and a number of box-office experts MTV News spoke with agreed that the number represents a serious accomplishment, despite coming up just short. “When the final numbers come in today, ‘Breaking Dawn’ will have the fifth-best opening ever, a record I’m sure every studio wouldn’t mind having,” said Jeff Bock, box-office analyst for Exhibitor Relations . “And even though ‘Breaking Dawn’ will always be in the shadow of ‘New Moon,’ which hit $142 million two years ago when it debuted over the same weekend, ‘Breaking Dawn,’ and the ‘Twilight’ franchise in general, is one of those rare commodities in Hollywood that sustains its audience from film to film.” The question of the drop in revenue from “New Moon” still remains. By normal box-office logic, returns would ramp up in anticipation for the finale, yet the penultimate entry in the series could not top the second. Phil Contrino, editor of Boxoffice.com , said it has to do with the fanbase. “I think a healthy portion of the audience is growing up and forgetting about this franchise. It’s not enough to put a significant dent in the grosses, but there’s definitely an impact,” he said. As “Breaking Dawn – Part 2” approaches, fans of both the “Harry Potter” and “Twilight” series anxiously await to see which finale will come out on top at the box office. Gitesh Pandya from Box Office Guru said Potter’s record will remain. “Since ‘Part 2’ is the final ‘Twilight’ film, I expect it to open a little higher and maybe even beat ‘New Moon,’ ” Pandya said. “But it won’t match the numbers for the final ‘Harry Potter’ unless it’s converted into 3-D.” Check out everything we’ve got on “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1.” For young Hollywood news, fashion and “Twilight” updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com . Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: ‘Breaking Dawn Part -1’ Director And Screenwriter MTV Rough Cut: ‘Breaking Dawn – Part 1’ Live From The ‘Twilight: Breaking Dawn – Part 1’ Red Carpet
Latest ‘Twilight’ entry has third-highest opening day ever. By Ryan J. Downey Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner in “Twilight: Breaking Dawn – Part 1” Photo: Summit “Twilight” fans came out in force Friday and made sure “Breaking Dawn” broke records. “The Twilight Saga” may be drawing to a close, but there’s nothing close to a slowdown at the box office. Estimates put the Friday numbers for the second-to-last entry in the series at $138 million around the world, as “Breaking Dawn” rolled out in 54 global markets. The domestic box office received a welcome 11 percent boost from the same period last year, thanks to the legions of “Twilight” fans. Midnight showings helped propel “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1” past “The Dark Knight,” “Transformers” and most of the “Potter” movies in the all-time opening-day box-office record books. “Breaking Dawn – Part 1” enjoyed the third-highest opening day ever with a projected $72 million in domestic receipts, according to studio estimates. The first part of Edward, Bella and Jacob’s final chapter together didn’t manage to beat the opening day of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2” or 2009’s “New Moon,” but it was a close race between the “Twilight” films. “New Moon” opened with $72.7 million, and final calculations could change the outcome between the two. “Twilight” fans who endured long lines for midnight showings accounted for $30.25 million of the “Breaking Dawn” first day-number. Based on the receipts thus far, industry watchers predict an opening weekend in the $140 million range, which is more than Summit Entertainment’s conservative projections. That would give the latest “Twilight” the fifth-highest opening weekend ever behind “Deathly Hallows, Part 2,” “The Dark Knight,” “Spider-Man 3” and “New Moon.” “Eclipse” opened with $68.5 million; the first “Twilight” debuted with $36 million. Critics savaged director Bill Condon’s first foray into Stephenie Meyer territory, but audiences have told a different story. “Breaking Dawn – Part 1” scored a paltry 27 percent on film review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes , but audiences have given it a B+ CinemaScore. “Eclipse” and the first film remain tied as the best-reviewed in the series, with 49 percent each on the Tomatometer. As expected, nothing else in theaters had anything close to the momentum of the continuing “Twilight” phenomenon. Despite additional revenue from 3-D showings, “Happy Feet 2” opened with less than half of the previous movie’s first day in 2006. The animated feature (which once again features the voice of “The Lord of the Rings” star Elijah Wood) took in just $5.9 million, according to studio estimates. Last weekend’s #1 movie, “Immortals,” was down 74 percent with $3.82 million. That decline is much worse than comparable swords-and-sandals action pictures like “300” and “Clash of the Titans.” The horribly reviewed Adam Sandler vehicle “Jack and Jill” made $3.5 million in its second Friday in theaters. “Puss in Boots” dropped steeply but has earned well over $100 million in the last few weeks. Well over a decade ago, the big box-office story started with a T as well: “Titanic” was on its way to become the highest-grossing movie of all time (later surpassed by “Avatar”) and the heartthrob generating all the heat was Leonardo DiCaprio, not Robert Pattinson. Nowadays, the 37-year-old actor and philanthropist is all grown up and starring in director Clint Eastwood’s “J. Edgar” biopic. The limited-release period drama dropped 58 percent on its second Friday and has generated an estimated $16.6 million thus far. The movie certainly wasn’t conceived as a blockbuster. DiCaprio still has summer-movie clout: “Inception” has grossed nearly $300 million since it was released in July 2010. Check out everything we’ve got on “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1.” For young Hollywood news, fashion and “Twilight” updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com . Related Videos Live From The ‘Twilight: Breaking Dawn – Part 1’ Red Carpet Related Photos ‘Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1’ Premiere
‘I’ve seen Edward and Bella go through a lot so far, so I feel like I was kind of ready to see this,’ Lautner tells MTV News. By Tiffany Miles, with reporting by Josh Horowitz Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner in “Breaking Dawn, Part 1” Photo: Summit Entertainment Of all the buzz surrounding this week’s hugely anticipated release of “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1,” the vast majority of fan rumblings and excitement have been about and for one scene and one scene only: the “honeymoon scene,” a.k.a. Bella and Edward’s sex scene. It’s a different story for the actors involved, specifically for Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart , who have talked at length about how awkward filming the scene was. Their co-stars seem to be onboard with their enthusiasm for the “action,” however. When MTV News caught up with Taylor Lautner recently, he said he was ready for it. “I’ve seen Edward and Bella go through a lot so far, so I feel like I was kind of ready to see this,” Lautner said. “I think everybody will feel the same way. We’ve seen Edward and Bella in their relationship grow so much that it’s about time.” “Twilight” author Stephenie Meyer told us at the “Breaking Dawn” premiere that the scene in the movie gives fans a lot more to see and think about than she did in the book. “I think it’s romantic, and it does give you more than the book does,” Meyer said. “I know some of the sites call it, instead of ‘fade to black,’ ‘fade to sad.’ They’d love to see more. I think this gives them that,” she said. “It gives them a romantic peek into the honeymoon. We don’t want to see too much.” Although everyone seems to be excited to see the honeymoon scene, Lautner still isn’t sure that Bella made the right decision when she chose Edward over his character, Jacob Black. When asked if he thought Bella made the wrong call, he jokingly said, “You know, I go back and forth with that one [question] still.” Check out everything we’ve got on “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1.” For young Hollywood news, fashion and “Twilight” updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com . Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: ‘Breaking Dawn – Part 1’ Live From The ‘Twilight: Breaking Dawn – Part 1’ Red Carpet MTV Rough Cut: Taylor Lautner Related Photos ‘Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1’ Premiere
‘I’ve seen Edward and Bella go through a lot so far, so I feel like I was kind of ready to see this,’ Lautner tells MTV News. By Tiffany Miles, with reporting by Josh Horowitz Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner in “Breaking Dawn, Part 1” Photo: Summit Entertainment Of all the buzz surrounding this week’s hugely anticipated release of “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1,” the vast majority of fan rumblings and excitement have been about and for one scene and one scene only: the “honeymoon scene,” a.k.a. Bella and Edward’s sex scene. It’s a different story for the actors involved, specifically for Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart , who have talked at length about how awkward filming the scene was. Their co-stars seem to be onboard with their enthusiasm for the “action,” however. When MTV News caught up with Taylor Lautner recently, he said he was ready for it. “I’ve seen Edward and Bella go through a lot so far, so I feel like I was kind of ready to see this,” Lautner said. “I think everybody will feel the same way. We’ve seen Edward and Bella in their relationship grow so much that it’s about time.” “Twilight” author Stephenie Meyer told us at the “Breaking Dawn” premiere that the scene in the movie gives fans a lot more to see and think about than she did in the book. “I think it’s romantic, and it does give you more than the book does,” Meyer said. “I know some of the sites call it, instead of ‘fade to black,’ ‘fade to sad.’ They’d love to see more. I think this gives them that,” she said. “It gives them a romantic peek into the honeymoon. We don’t want to see too much.” Although everyone seems to be excited to see the honeymoon scene, Lautner still isn’t sure that Bella made the right decision when she chose Edward over his character, Jacob Black. When asked if he thought Bella made the wrong call, he jokingly said, “You know, I go back and forth with that one [question] still.” Check out everything we’ve got on “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1.” For young Hollywood news, fashion and “Twilight” updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com . Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: ‘Breaking Dawn – Part 1’ Live From The ‘Twilight: Breaking Dawn – Part 1’ Red Carpet MTV Rough Cut: Taylor Lautner Related Photos ‘Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1’ Premiere
I’m clinically unashamed most of the time, but today I come to you with a confession worthy of St. Augustine or at least Diane Keaton : Twilight may be the ultimate Bad Movie We Love. It is surely bad, as it looks and acts like the longest, moodiest Evanescence video of all time, but it’s also hard to resist. It’s neither pretentious nor overconfident. It’s silly. Bella Swan is hot for a shock-white ghoul with darting pupils and a social disorder. Celebrate.
Happy Wednesday! Also in this edition of The Broadsheet: Kristen Stewart rumored for Akira … The Expendables 2 upsets the Bulgarian bat population… Ron Meyer tries a little tenderness… There is a Dutch version of Jersey Shore … and more.
‘I was very flattered I was asked to do it,’ designer Carolina Herrera tells MTV News of Stephenie Meyer’s personal request. By Kara Warner, with reporting by Josh Horowitz Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson in “Breaking Dawn – Part 1” Photo: Summit Of all the big reveals in “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1” that don’t involve the words “sex” and “scene,” fans are dying to see Bella’s wedding dress. It’s been one of the most closely guarded film secrets in recent memory, and rightly so, according to author Stephenie Meyer , who told us the key ingredient to the wedding scene was Kristen Stewart looking “gorgeous” and “unbelievable” in that dress. Thankfully, come Friday, the secret will officially be out. MTV News was lucky enough to get a few details about said dress from legendary fashion designer Carolina Herrera at the film’s premiere Monday night, as she led us through the process for how she ended up with the coveted task. “I was called by Stephenie Meyer. We had to discuss a lot, but I was very inspired by her book and the description of the wedding,” Herrera said. “I was very flattered I was asked to do it; it’s a big scene for me.” Herrera said she loves the romance and the idea of true love as depicted in the book and that she was happy to be a part of such a magical scene. She also spoke to the importance and delicacy in designing wedding dresses in general. “Wedding dresses are different, because you have to know that it’s the most important day in the life of a woman,” she said. “You have to please the bride first of all, and it has to be a secret. I cannot talk about the dress before the groom sees it. I treated [Kristen Stewart’s Bella] like every other bride,” she admitted. “I think [Stewart] was very moved when she tried it on. And that means a lot, because she felt that it was the right one.” Given her pleasant experience with the film’s wedding dress, might Herrera consider designing something for Stewart in real life? “Why not? If she asked me, absolutely,” Herrera said with a smile, but added that Stewart doesn’t need to by styled by anyone. “She knows exactly what she wants to wear. … You can wear anything at21. You don’t need any advice. When you are Kristen Stewart, you can wear whatever you want.” Check out everything we’ve got on “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1.” For young Hollywood news, fashion and “Twilight” updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com . Related Videos MTV Rough Cut: ‘Breaking Dawn – Part 1’ Live From The ‘Twilight: Breaking Dawn – Part 1’ Red Carpet Related Photos ‘Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1’ Premiere ‘Breaking Dawn’ Premieres Around The World
No offense to Edward, Jacob and their respective team members, but Breaking Dawn is all about Bella. In the epic Twilight conclusion, Kristen Stewart’s character is seen as a newlywed, a newly-turned vampire and as a pregnant woman. Going through all of those changes with a girl she’s played for so long was not easy for Stewart, who feels like a part of herself will always be entwined with Bella Swan. “I’m pretty wrapped up in her,” Kristen tells Movie Fanatic. “If you’re the type of girl to identify with Bella then you’re just kind of on her. So it’s really hard for me.” “I genuinely had to justify every decision she made the whole way through.” Breaking Dawn Wedding Trailer Among the many milestones crammed into the first part of Breaking Dawn (in theaters this Friday) is Bella’s wedding to Edward, played by Robert Pattinson. “I had a million different things going through my head,” she recalled of walking down the aisle. “What I kept telling myself was, “Stop, stop, stop. Like just do it. Actually have this experience because you’re just about to ruin it.” Of co-stars Pattinson and Taylor Lautner, she says, “I can’t imagine what this film would have been if I didn’t have really, really solid and growing relationships with them.” “When you work with people like that, you give so much, you’re so comfortable and you can do no wrong, and so they’ve got you. I think we all just got along, and it shows.” Visit Movie Fanatic now for their full interview with Kristen Stewart …
